CORNWALL, Ontario – Cornwall City Council voted to take the next step forward in the long awaited Brookdale Ave. north sewer expansion project.
At their meeting on Monday, Feb. 11, Council directed City administration to prepare a Request For Proposal (RFP) asking companies to bid on a $850,000 contract to do design and survey work for the proposed expansion.
Services covered by the RFP include design of the pumping stations, force main and sanitary sewer, as well as public consultations.
The new sewer line would run under Brookdale Ave. from Tollgate Rd. to Cornwall Ctr. Rd. The total cost of the project is $7 million and will likely take a few years to complete.
Part of that cost will include two pumping stations that will need to be installed to handle the volume and distance of pipe the project will require.
In the background information on the project, administration explained to Council that property owners have been lobbying for this expansion since 1997, but the City had yet to act on it due to the complex logistics and cost associated with the project.
Some of the projects $7 million price tag will be recovered through Municipal Act (MA) Charges paid by property owners who will benefit from the expansion.
There are currently seven property owners who will receive MA Charges related to the project, the biggest being Irving Oil who’s charge is $720,000. Irving has made it’s intentions clear that it wants to see an expansion of its own at the Irving gas station located on Brookdale Ave. just south of Cornwall Ctr. Rd.
These MA Charges however, would only come into effect after the project is completed. Up until completion, the City of Cornwall would be responsible for all up front capital costs.
The City currently does not have enough money in reserve to cover the cost of the project and will have to take out short-term loans until the project is completed.
At the meeting, Councillor Syd Gardiner spoke in favour of the project, applauding the opportunity to expand the city northward.
City administration will present the written RFP to council at the Feb. 25 meeting for their approval.
